hatch on sides or in carton

[rosco]

i've seen this question so many times, but i forgot the answer. today is day 18, "lockdown." the eggs are in a carton standing upright. would it increase hatch rate to remove the carton and let them sit on their sides, directly on the basket?

THX!

 

[Kittymomma]

I like the carton and I also put down some rubber shelf liner (the kind with holes) so the hatchlings have something besides wire to stand on. The carton/shelf liner makes clean up really easy and minimizes the game of egg soccer that the early hatchers like to play with their slower hatch mates. Happy hatching!!

 

[rosco]

yeah, but should i let them sit on their sides or keep them sitting upright?

laying on their sides seems natural but this in a different orientation than they've been in so far.

 

[rosco]

bump. i'm hoping for an answer since it is lockdown.

 

[karen71]

I would like an answer lock down is next week and I want to know more about this egg carton hatching

 

[Brickman House]

I did my last two hatches in an egg carton, fat end of the egg up, the same way I incubated them. Both hatches were extremely successful, and easy to clean up. I have my next batch of eggs in my incubator right now, and am also planning to hatch in an egg carton for those, as well.

 

[Bec]

I liked hatching in the carton! I have 19 in lockdown right now in their cartons! They can pip and zip easily and had no trouble getting up and out to dry off!

 

[rosco]

Quote:
yeah. i'm hatching silkies and only three eggs are left. silkies have a poor hatch rate in incubators. Being this the case, cleaning up is not a concern of mine.

i've heard many people say they like to hatch the eggs on their side. they put them on their side at "lockdown."

it will soon be day 19 and i hope i get someone to comment on "switching from an up-right position to the side at lockdown. increasing the expectedly low hatch rate would be quite a good thing.

 

[CrazyWestTexasFarmGirl]

I just did a hatch in the trays they incubated in.... I LOVE IT! The fuzzybutts unzipped and popped the tops and then popped out when they were ready.... They were noisy and bouncy and fluffed so fast.... I think my hatch rate went way up from last time this way. I have ducks and turkeys hatching now... we shall see how they do. I think my chicks this time had less icky navels than previous and were healthier... I opened up a little early and had two shrink wrapped.... I soaked and exctracted them and even then they unkinked and took off after a day in the CICU brooder

I cant even tell which ones they were now.... I wont do a laying hatch again....

 

[jamesrm]

Use a carton everytime. I did a side by side comparison with quail and had 2:1 better hatch with carton And less incident of spraddle. Chickens are less of a straddle issue but it takes out A LOT of veriables. I even moved the quail literally 12 hours before hatch from sides to carton. Its never too late to hatch vertical.